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Old 05-17-2020, 09:59 AM   #1
khosier
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Dometic refrigerator

I am new to full time. Went out and bought a 2019 Cougar 362RKS and 2019 F350 6.2 4x4 to tow with. My question is has anyone had trouble with 13.5 cu ft 4 door refer? Ours runs between 34 and 44 and it isn't even hot yet. Hate to through a new unit out but thinking of changing to a unit with a compressor not absorbtion. We are afraid when temps get over a 100 the absorbtion unit will not keep up.
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Old 05-17-2020, 10:18 AM   #2
Gary R.
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Greetings and welcome to the forum.

We have a double door Dometic in our Alpine. I, too, was initially concerned about the cooling ability of the fridge on hot days, but I soon learned there is a fan in the rear of the fridge that activates around 80 degrees. It seems to move enough air to keep the innards between 35 an 40 on those hot days.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your new Cougar!
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Old 05-17-2020, 10:25 AM   #3
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If my mind is in gear, I believe there are 4 fans on that refer. Your biggest loss of cooling will be when you open the door and “graze”. It has been said that for every minute you have the doors open it will take like 2 hours to recover.

If your going to switch to a “residential” unit, you will need an inverter any time your not plugged into shore power. That means running wiring and probably changing your battery set up.
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Old 05-17-2020, 10:36 AM   #4
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Thanks Gary and Chuckster. You are right there are four fans in this model. I have also added a muffin fan in the back and an interior fan inside. As you well know in another month 100's are the norms. I think I can go with a frigidaire 13.9 with very little mods. This one is driving the better half crazy.
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Old 05-17-2020, 10:51 AM   #5
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Muffin pan?
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Old 05-17-2020, 10:55 AM   #6
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Muffin fan very similar to one that is in a computer. 120 volt.
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Old 05-17-2020, 01:45 PM   #7
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What is it for?
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Old 05-17-2020, 04:58 PM   #8
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Call Dometic and be sure the RV dealer registered the refrig and any other Dometic components in your name. Ask how much warranty you have left. They used to have 2 years. Then , if you are registered they will send you an offer to buy more warranty. I would do that. Get crackin'.
I almost ran out of warranty messing around with a mega dealer that couldn't, or wouldn't, fix mine. I ended up with a new cooling unit. Still had a mind of it's own.
Before I spent big money for another refrig I would look into the Amish refrigerator cooling unit.
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Old 05-17-2020, 05:01 PM   #9
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What is it for?
Usually installed behind the refrigerator at the top and/or the bottom for more air circulation.
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Old 05-17-2020, 05:42 PM   #10
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Usually installed behind the refrigerator at the top and/or the bottom for more air circulation.
Ok. I will admit I haven’t heard of this. How does it work?
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Old 05-17-2020, 06:46 PM   #11
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Ok. I will admit I haven’t heard of this. How does it work?
I'm sure you're familiar with them, you probably just haven't heard the term. The name came out of the computer industry. It's just a cheap ducted fan.

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Old 05-17-2020, 06:49 PM   #12
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I'm sure you're familiar with them, you probably just haven't heard the term. The name came out of the computer industry. It's just a cheap ducted fan.

Got it!! I was in law enforcement (prison) and no computers for 29 years. LOL

With 4 fans already, I don’t really see the need for more myself, haven’t seen any cooling issues in 100+ degree heat.
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Old 05-17-2020, 08:14 PM   #13
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khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2˘, Hank
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Old 05-17-2020, 08:28 PM   #14
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khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2˘, Hank
Interesting... may indicate you have weak electric heater unit? Appear to average about $70, with some as low as $40.
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Old 05-17-2020, 09:08 PM   #15
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Interesting... may indicate you have weak electric heater unit? Appear to average about $70, with some as low as $40.
Than the last four units I have owned over the last twenty + years have all had bad electric heaters. I guess it's possible.
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Old 05-18-2020, 04:02 AM   #16
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Just like the water heater, the fridge 120 v ac low amperage (compared to non RV appliances) electric heaters have a lower BTU rating when compared to the propane burner.
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Old 05-20-2020, 03:10 PM   #17
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We have a new Montana with an 18 CuFt Norcold 2118 4 door fridge. Same concern and challenges. Runs all the time (seemingly) and as long as you never open the doors, it can pull itself down to -15C and +2C respectively though it struggles to maintain those temps when the day starts to warm up. Use it like a fridge, in other words open a door occasionally and the challenges begin. This straight from Norcold service. Trailer must be level. No brainer there. Check your door seals to make certain that the doors have not "settled" after installation. Big problem with our model requiring the doors to be shimmed. Check to make certain that there is no obstruction to the air flow in the rear of the fridge. Insulation having fallen out of places has been found to be a common source of obstructions. "Try" and park where direct sun light does not shine on the fridges outside venting covers. They are black and absorb a lot of sun light that generates heat in the rear compartment. Check the "thermistor" inside the fridge. It changes resistive values as it's temperature changes. It is the device that the fridge controller references to determine what temperature that fridge is at. Find out what those resistance values are supposed to be and make certain if you are checking it, that you are checking the "Thermistor's" temp and not presuming that the fridge temp is the same. They very seldom are. Use an "amiable" IR thermometer and aim it at the Thermistor. It will be clipped to a cooling fin in the fridge section. In our 2118 it is clipped to the upper 2" of the second fin counting from R-L. Also from an RV tech, Dometic in their "infinite wisdom" now has a defrost cycle built into their controller on some models. This function has created big problems. Who's the brainiac that determined that a fridge that struggles to stay cool, needs a cycle that heats it up to get rid of frost that it is not cold enough to develop in the first place. If you are developing a lot of frost on those cooling fins check your door seals. Humid air is your enemy as it's moisture will condense on those fins dramatically reducing the airflow over the fin and thereby reducing the fridge's ability to cool. Long story short, gas absorption fridges are using 60+yr old technology trying to make it work effectively on fridges that are just too big. Put fans in the fridge section to move the air around more. This helps. Keep the fridge and freezer at least 75% full of cool/frozen product. The more free air occupying the volume you have in both compartments the more free air you have to loose when you open the door(s). That free air is also your enemy. It just spills out each time you open the door and the unit then has to work to cool the new "warm" air down again. Keep it full, of product and the product will help to cool the fridge down again. Additional fans on the outside compartment will help but if Dometic already has 4 of them back there, I find it hard to believe that a 5th will make much of a difference unless they are of a very small CFM rated type of fan. Check to make certain those fans are all working. They are independently "thermostatically" controlled but if one is on they should all be on. Hope his helps.
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Old 05-24-2020, 07:44 AM   #18
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If you have not yet,
purchase a wireless refer/freezer temp gauge so you are not opening the doors frequently to check temp. If there is a refer door temp indicator it may not be as accurate as you would like.

https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Refri.../dp/B004QJVU78

My refer is averaging 32-38 degrees in mid 90 degree outside temps
I have a dinosaur electronics control board installed.

We dry camp frequently so a residential is not an option for me.
Note I already have massive solar/batteries/inverter.

Its also been discussed previously;
a residential refer, many repair techs will not repair unless they are removed from the coach. I am not saying its the right or wrong decision for you but something to consider. A poster this week was trying to figure out how to have a residential refer fixed. They work great until they don't.

As previously stated my absorption refer tends to work better on gas. check the thermoster positioning on the inside cooling grill. It may need to be adjusted. a battery powered internal refrigerator fan will also help the interior of the unit work more efficiently.. don't expect good results for a large refer will little in it. Try and fill some milk jugs with water to fill the void while testing it out and let it run a number of days. I does take a few days for the freezer to draw down frozen items to get to optimum temperature after being filled with food.

I did also found on my unit that the insulation was blocking my roof top exhaust vent. When I resolved that It made a great difference. the insulation installed between top of cooling unit and roof next to vent had shifted.

Cheers
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Old 05-24-2020, 08:36 AM   #19
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khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2˘, Hank
I agree. Ours will cool down from ambient much faster than electric in the warmer months and recovers faster as well. In the winter I use electric and that does just fine.
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Old 05-24-2020, 01:21 PM   #20
Roscommon48
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here is a resource on fridges. call them with your questions. they helped us out.


https://www.rvcool.com/
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